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Since January 2000, 135 soldiers have died during training with 11 cases leading to crown censures, the highest penalty that can be issued to the ministry by the health and safety executive.

The Armed Forces take very seriously the risks associated with the way it trains for war fighting

Committee chairman Madeline Moon

Committee chairman Madeline Moon said: “The Armed Forces take very seriously the risks associated with the way it trains for war fighting.

“But there have been a small number of serious yet avoidable failings in training safety and risk assessment. So where a crown censure has been issued, it should be possible to prosecute the MoD.

“The lives of serving personnel are worth no less than those of civilians and those responsible for their deaths must be equally liable.”

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The Ministry of Defence could face charges if the death was caused by negligence

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A report revealed that accidents in training were the biggest cause of injury in the Armed Forces

In 2014 a ministry report revealed that accidents in training were the single biggest cause of injury in the Armed Forces, affecting one in three troops. Of those, 38 per cent were hurt so seriously they needed at least 245 hours in hospital.

The report, by a sub-group of the Defence Select Committee, agrees that risks should never be reduced to such an extent that it would undermine the operational effectiveness of service personnel through inadequate training.

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Research found cases where deaths in training were preventable

Nevertheless, it found there were a number of situations where deaths had been preventable. A solicitor who gave evidence at the SAS deaths inquiry said yesterday: “The recommendations in this report will save lives if they are followed by the Government and MoD.”